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Watson 1 Chapter Enhancement Activities Rationale for Chapter Enhancements: Prior to explaining each enhancement, I want to explain why

I chose to incorporate the activities that I created. First, Grammar Dimensions (Frodesen & Eyring, 2000) is highly drilland-kill oriented within each unit. Although there are production-based, contextualized activities at the end of the entire unit, I felt that it would be useful to have more of these types of activities incorporated throughout the unit so that students could see how each grammar point is used in everyday English. Furthermore, production is critical in learning another language. Fotos explains: recent researchsuggests that grammar structures with a few simple rules benefit from instruction followed by communicative usage of the instructed form (2002, p. 151). Second, students are asked to focus on form both explicitly and implicitly. In some cases I have italicized verb structures in activities, with the primary goal of having students notice the forms and choose the correct supplementary forms. Noticing is instrumental in terms of focus on form during the learning process. Hinkel notes: Schmidt (1995) points out that noticing and paying attention to the focal points of language and its linguistic features greatly enhances students performance with complex syntactic structures and vocabulary (2002, p. 193). In other cases, I used explicit activities (especially in the earlier focus points of the chapters) so that students can pay specific attention to the forms and discuss why the forms are created in the way that they are seen in the activities. Either approach is pedagogically sound. Doughty and Williams write: instructional intervention designed by the teacher may be either implicit or explicit and that they choice for instructional technique or task depends ultimately upon many other considerations, such as the nature of the language being taught and learned, the language learning processes being engaged via the task or technique, the degree of integration of form and

Watson 2 meaning in the teaching approach, the level of the learners, and so forth (1998, p. 231). Other rationales for each activity are found in the subsections entitled Enhancement. 1. Focus 1: Overview of Passive versus Active Verb Use a. Enhancement: While the chart offers easily understood examples of the uses and explanations of active vs. passive verbs, students would greatly benefit from additional examples that demonstrate how the focus and meaning shift when using active and passive verbs. Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman write: both active and passive voice can be used, but there is a difference in meaning (1999, p. 348). The authors also write: the passive is used when we want to defocus the agent (1999, p. 353). Furthermore, one may also argue that if students do not have an adequate background and understanding of these differences, they will encounter difficulties in later passive voice studies: learners cannot be taught what they are not developmentally ready to learn (Lightbrown & Spada, 1999, p. 162). b. Activity: See PowerPoint slide c. Student Instructions: Using the chart on page 58, decide what the subject is in each sentence. Afterwards, write active verb or passive verb next to each number. d. Teacher Instructions: Instruct the students to turn to page 58. Go through the examples on the chart, answering any questions that the students may have regarding the differences between active and passive verbs. Afterwards, show students the PowerPoint slide with the extra sentence practice. Tell the students to copy the sentences into their notes. Once the students have copied the sentences, do a sample sentence with the students, having them identify the

Watson 3 subject of each sentence and telling whether the verb is active or passive. Go over the correct answers once the students are finished, and answer any questions that the students might have. 2. Focus 1: Overview of Passive vs. Active Verb Use a. Enhancement: Students need to see the relevance of what they are learning and how native speakers of English use active and passive verbs on a daily basis. Using the information that they have just been given, the students will rewrite newspaper headlines or offer alternate headlines using the passive voice. CelceMurcia and Larsen-Freeman write: both active and passive voice can be used, but there is a difference in meaning (1999, p. 348). The authors also write: the passive is used when we want to defocus the agent (1999, p. 353). This is an application activity; students must use the knowledge that they have just acquired in the first activity in order to complete this activity. Students need to notice the differences between the tenses for two reasons: overall meaning should be more easily understood and more complex grammar forms should be correctly formed in the future (Hinkel, 2002, p. 193). b. Activity: See PowerPoint slides c. Student Instructions: Read the each of the headlines displayed on the PowerPoint, and rewrite each headline in the passive voice. You may also give a different but related headline if you wish. d. Teacher Instructions: Review active vs. passive verb forms with the students. To start the activity, display the PowerPoint slide to the students, and have the students read the headlines. Ask the students to form groups of three to four students. Tell the students that each group should rewrite/alter each headline

Watson 4 using the passive voice. Do an example with the students, if necessary (ex. Instead of Prince William Proposes to Catherine Middleton, alternate headlines could be Wedding Plans Have Been Made in London or Prince William and Catherine Middletons Wedding Is Being Planned.) 3. Focus 2: Review of Passive Verb Forms a. Enhancement: Although the chart on page 60 of passive verb forms is well organized and provides excellent examples and explanations of the different forms of the passive voice, the amount of information presented in the chart may be overwhelming to students. In one chart, there are twelve different concepts presented, with only two exercises to accompany the chart. I propose that the chart be divided into 5 smaller charts, with brief activities under each chart to allow for more practice and understanding of the grammar points. Students need to notice the differences between the tenses for two reasons: overall meaning should be more easily understood and more complex grammar forms may be correctly formed in the future (Hinkel, 2002, p. 193). Furthermore, one may also argue that if students do not have an adequate background and understanding of these differences, they will encounter difficulties in later passive voice studies: learners cannot be taught what they are not developmentally ready to learn (Lightbrown & Spada, 1999, p. 162). b. See Chart Enhancement and Activity worksheet c. Student Instructions: Complete each activity under the chart with your teacher. d. Teacher Instructions: Explain each concept to the students, emphasizing that the passive verb is the last word in the verb unit. Have the students offer their own examples of sentences that they have heard, read, or said in each tense.

Watson 5 4. Focus 2: Review of Passive Verb Forms a. Enhancement: Students need to hear how native speakers use the target grammar structures in speech. This activity will not just allow students to hear how the target structures are used, but also to formulate their own sentences using the targeted grammar structures. It is also important for students to know that the passive is the last verb in the verb sequence. Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman offer various examples, such as Diamonds are mined in South Africa, and Diamonds were being mined in South Africa. In all of their examples, the authors write: the passive was the last verb to appear in the string, thereby earning its position in our phrase structure rule as the final optional auxiliary element (1999, p. 345). Students need to know this fact for proper word order and for clarity. Furthermore, the activity provides two opportunities for short essay responses. Although it may be challenging, the purpose of this activity is to allow students to experiment with the language so that they can see what they can do with the language. Celce-Murcia writes: Once we change our perspective from sentence level to discourse level, we are in a position to teach grammar both as a resource for creating discourse in context and as a resource for using language to communicateboth receptively and productively (2002, p. 132). b. Activity: i. Watch the video (until 2:38): http://video.foxnews.com/v/1581863637001/first-arrest-in-bp-gulf-oilspill-investigation ii. Answer the questions on the worksheet.

Watson 6 iii. Student instructions: Watch the video about the first arrest that has been made in connection to the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. Then answer the questions and share your responses with your conversation partners. iv. Teacher instructions: Prior to beginning the activity, review some of the passive verb forms. Start the activity by using the PowerPoint presentation, give background information about the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill that occurred on April 20, 2010. Then pass out the video comprehension worksheets to the students. Go over the questions with the students and answer any questions that they may have. Show the video clip, and repeat if necessary. Have the students move into conversation partner groups to discuss the answers to the comprehension questions. Finally, the students should answer questions 4 & 5 in paragraph form. All questions should be answered using the appropriate forms of the passive voice. 5. Focus 4: Uses of Stative Passive Verbs a. Enhancement: Students should converse using stative passive verbs to increase their understanding and oral proficiency. This activity requires students to not only use stative passive verbs, but also to discuss different native customs and traditions with their classmates. Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman write that there are three specific instances in which the passive may be used: i. The passive is used when the agent is not to be mentioned due to redundancy, generalizations, tactfulness, evasiveness, etc.

Watson 7 ii. The passive is used when the nonagent is more closely related than the agent to the theme of the text. iii. The passive is used when the nonagent is a participant in the immediately preceding sentence (1999, pp. 353-354). Furthermore, there is an added communicative benefit to this activity. Students have not been required up to this point to speak extemporaneously; rather, they have had other activities (mostly listening and writing) prior to any speaking activities to build up to small speaking activities. This activity, however, is designed to get students to speak extemporaneously from the outset so that they can see how well they currently understand and use the structures: multiple opportunities for learners to engage in collaborative talk on the language features in question [leads] them to a greater understanding of their correct use (Lightbrown & Spada, 1999, p. 74). b. Activity: see PowerPoint presentation c. Student Instructions: Think of a holiday or a custom that perhaps we do not know about in the United States. Turn to your conversation partner and tell your partner about this holiday or custom. You may want to include some of the following information: When is it celebrated? What ideas are represented in the traditions, decorations, food, etc.? How is the holiday/custom celebrated? Is there a specific person or character that represents this holiday/custom? After you share your information with your partner, be prepared to share the same information with the class. d. Teacher Instructions: Prepare the students for the activity by reviewing stative passive verbs, what they are used for, and how they are formed. Start the activity by using the PowerPoint presentation to share information about Martin Luther

Watson 8 King, Jr. Day with students. Afterwards, instruct the students to move into conversation partner groups and discuss the questions outlined above. Encourage students to ask other questions about the topic. After 5-10 minutes, call on students to share their customs/holidays with the class. 6. Focus 4: Uses of Stative Passive Verbs a. Enhancement: Students should be able to present information to their students in a formal oral presentation using the targeted structures. For this activity, the students are to share information about a famous national monument, national award, famous park, or important artist from their native culture. The information that they present should be written on a piece of posterboard (with pictures) and delivered orally. Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman write that there are three specific instances in which the passive may be used: i. The passive is used when the agent is not to be mentioned due to redundancy, generalizations, tactfulness, evasiveness, etc. ii. The passive is used when the nonagent is more closely related than the agent to the theme of the text. iii. The passive is used when the nonagent is a participant in the immediately preceding sentence (1999, pp. 353-354). Additionally, Harley cites Swains study, who notes that language output serves as a powerful intrinsic determiner of comprehension: Language productionmay have several learning functions: not only providing practice opportunities that encourage automatization of linguistic knowledge but also prompting learners to notice the gap between what they can say and what they

Watson 9 want to say, enabling them to test hypotheses, and promoting reflection that permits them to control and internalize linguistic knowledge (1998, p. 158). b. Activity: see PowerPoint presentation c. Student instructions: Identify a famous national monument, national award, famous park, or important artist from your culture. What is this person, place, or thing so important in your culture? Prepare a brief presentation of no more than 2 3 minutes in length about your topic. You will want to include basic information about your topic and include pictures of this person/place/thing. Be prepared to present your project to the class. d. Teacher instructions: Prior to starting the activity, do a brief review of stative passive verbs. Next, begin the activity by showing the students the PowerPoint presentation about Mount Rushmore in the United States. Have examples of stative passive verbs in the sentences that describe this award/monument/park/artist. Talk to the students about the selected topic, and then explain that the students are going to share a specific award/monument/park/artist with their classmates. Explain that they must speak for at least 2 3 minutes, and they must include important facts about their topic in their speeches and sentences written on the posterboard presentations. 7. Focus 5: Complex Passives a. Enhancement: This activity is to be used for identification of complex passives in writing. The students have not yet explored contexts in which complex passives are used, but this activity aims to focus the students attention to the formation of complex passives in two different articles about Elvis Presley. Students need to understand that with complex passives the agent is not the most important aspect

Watson 10 of the sentence, but rather the message that comes after the agent; this structure is used frequently in reporting (Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman, 1999, p. 675). Authentic texts are the key instructional sources in this activity because they allow students to see how complex passives are used in written conventional English (Hinkel, 2002, p. 195). Writing and speaking tasks are also incorporated into the activity so that students can continue to monitor their progress in learning the passive voice. Celce-Murcia writes: Once we change our perspective from sentence level to discourse level, we are in a position to teach grammar both as a resource for creating discourse in context and as a resource for using language to communicateboth receptively and productively (2002, p. 132). b. Activity: See PowerPoint presentation and activity page c. Student Instructions: In your conversation partner groups, work through your part of the article to find the different examples of complex passives. d. Teacher Instructions: Before the activity, review what complex passive verbs are and how they are formed. Ask for volunteers to offer examples of different sentences using complex passive verbs. To start the activity, ask the students who Elvis Presley is, and then show the students the brief PowerPoint presentation about Elvis so that students will have the necessary background knowledge to complete the accompanying activity. After the introductory Elvis notes, pass out the activity pages to the students. Divide reading portions up by groups, and tell the students that they are to identify any uses of complex verbs that they may find. Afterwards, each group should write 5 additional sentences about Elvis Presley using complex verbs. Afterwards, each student should use one of the sentences as

Watson 11 a conversation topic. The students should restate the sentence and then give their opinion (at least one other complex passive verb should be used). 8. Focus 6: Contexts for the Use of Complex Passives a. Enhancement: Students need to understand that with complex passives the agent is not the most important aspect of the sentence, but rather the message that comes after the agent; this structure is used frequently in reporting (Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman, 1999, p. 675). Although the formation of complex passives is rather simple, this does not necessarily mean that additional practice is not required. On the contrary, students should take the instruction that they have received and use it to produce writing and speaking samples. Fotos refers to Elliss (1995) and Robinsons (1996) work: Regarding the selection of the structure, it is useful to keep in mind that recent researchsuggests that grammar structures with a few simple rules benefit from instruction followed by communicative usage of the instructed form (2002, p. 151). b. Activity: Students will watch a brief YouTube video (Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwOwfO67oTg) about disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle and learn about possible causes for these disappearances. They will be required to use complex passives in their responses to comprehension questions. The students will also be required to use complex passives in an essay in which they state what is reported about the Bermuda Triangle and the reasons why they do/do not believe in the Bermuda Triangle theories. (See PowerPoint presentation and handout) c. Student Instructions: What are some examples of complex passive verbs? (Students should offer examples such as It is believed, It is said, It has been

Watson 12 alleged, etc.) Offer examples of myths (can be from native culture or examples of myths that you have heard in the United States). Watch the video and answer the comprehension questions listed on your worksheet. d. Teacher Instructions: Prior to beginning the activity, ask the students what some examples of complex passive verbs are. Ask for volunteers, and write their suggestions on the whiteboard. To start the activity, ask the students what they know about myths. Explain that myths are popular stories that people claim to be true, but there is no proof of existence. Show the students the PowerPoint presentation about the Bermuda Triangle. Pass out the worksheets to the students with the comprehension questions, and explain to the students that they are going to watch a video about the mysteries surrounding disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle. Show the video, stopping it after the questions so that students can answer the questions and listen to specific portions of the video (if necessary). Give the correct answers to each question as you progress through the worksheet. Afterwards, have the students pick a conversation partner and discuss their opinion about the Bermuda Triangle: In your opinion, are the scientific possibilities of the Bermuda Triangle disappearances valid? Have the students begin their justifications with It is said or another complex passive, followed by their opinions. Give a sample sentence if necessary.

Watson 13 References Celce-Murcia, M. (2002). Why it makes sense to teach grammar in context and through discourse. In E. Hinkel & S. Fotos (Eds.), New Perspectives on Grammar Teaching in Second Language Classrooms (pp. 119-133). New York: Routledge. Celce-Murcia, M. & Larsen-Freeman, D. (1999). The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL teachers course. (2nd edition). Heinle & Heinle Publishers: Boston. Doughty, C. & Williams, J. (1998). Pedagogical choices in focus on form. In C. Doughty & J. Williams (Eds.), Focus on Form in Classroom Second Language Acquisition (pp. 197261). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Fotos, S. (2002). Structure-Based Interactive Tasks for the EFL Grammar Learner. In E. Hinkel & S. Fotos (Eds.), New Perspectives on Grammar Teaching in Second Language Classrooms (pp. 135-154). New York: Routledge. Frodesen, J. & Eyring, J. (2000). Grammar Dimensions: Form, Meaning, and Use, Platinum Edition. Boston: Heinle & Heinle. Harley, B. (1998). Focus-on-form tasks in child L2 acquisition. In C. Doughty & J. Williams (Eds.), Focus on Form in Classroom Second Language Acquisition (pp. 156-174). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hinkel, E. (2002). Teaching Grammar in Writing Classes: Tenses and Cohesion. In E. Hinkel & S. Fotos (Eds.), New Perspectives on Grammar Teaching in Second Language Classrooms (pp. 181-198). New York: Routledge. Lightbrown, P. & Spada, N. (1999). How Languages are Learned (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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